Magic in the Blood
by key of minor
Summary: The Titans attempt to unwind at a nearby fair, only to be attacked by a new enemy. When Beast Boy is injured by magic, the Titans must scramble to help him; this means tracking down a new and hazy source.
1. Chapter One

**Magic in the Blood** (working title)

CH. ONE

In the small, perfumed tent, the smoke of the oracle wrapped itself around the slender shoulders of the young seekers with translucent tendrils. The teller was a woman of undeterminable descent, her skin a deep and creamy toffee and her dark eyes brimming with sensuality and knowledge. Dozens of slim bangles bounced off one another as she laid out the tarot cards on the table.

"Pretty girl, you are to be represented by the Fool," the teller murmured in a husky voice that hinted of incense and silk. "An innocent heart in a the body of a born lover, as we all once were. See here, the Fool is young and pretty, smiling as he walks off the cliff. Such is to be the lot of a true fool, walking into danger because of the lack of knowledge." A manicured nail tapped the card. "Off the edge of the cliff he walks, with only the bark bark of a small dog to tell him of what lies ahead."

"I do not understand," said the pretty girl. "If I am to walk off a cliff, it will not be a problem. My people have the gift of flight. Also, the dog in this picture is white. We have no dogs at the Tower excepting when Beast Boy becomes one. And he would be green." She shifted in her chair, the candlelight flickering over the curtain of her red hair. "You are a very nice woman, but I do not think your cards are correct."

Beside Starfire, Raven sighed. "Starfire, the cards are metaphors."

"Oh! They are like the cooling of tempers, or like when we barbecued the informant--"

"--when we grilled him, Star."

"Or when Cyborg is so hungry he wishes to consume a stallion."

"You mean when he says he's hungry enough to eat a horse." A second ticked by. "On second thought, that one might not be a metaphor."

Starfire smiled brilliantly at her friend. It was enjoyable to do the hanging out with Raven, she thought, and particularly rewarding when she was able to understand her friend's peculiar sense of humor. She herself preferred Beast Boy's jokes and funny movies with the angry golfing man. However, when doing the hanging out with Raven, Starfire had to work to understand English on a level that the boys rarely required. 'And to think,' she mused, 'Raven is not even a native speaker!'

"Uh, Starfire?"

"Young lady?"

"Oh," breathed Starfire. "I am sorry! I was letting my thoughts take a walk." As Raven unsuccessfully hid a smile under her hand, the fortune teller waved her graceful hands.

"My pretty young lady Starfire," the woman murmured, now dancing her fingers over the tarot cards. "I am to not speak in those terms, I am thinking. I shall speak more plainly." Her gaze darted over the spread of cards. "There is a young man in your life, dark and handsome, tall and mysterious."

Starfire's nose crinkled in thought. "Robin is not tall," she whispered to Raven, only to be given a smack on the arm.

After a moment, Raven added, "He will be someday." Starfire could tell from the roll of Raven's eyes that the other girl was not impressed by this gypsy woman.

The fortune teller spoke over them. "Though you consider your fellow to be as a mystery, in the days that follow this he shall be as plain for you to read. It is other cards in your spread and others in your life that you must pay heed to you. There is danger to the High Priestess here, and to the Sun." The woman furrowed her brow at Raven. "You, my dark young lady, you are to be watching yourself. There is another, represented by the Sun, that is to be reversed."

Starfire felt a chill, though when she looked to Raven, the sorceress showed no sign of feeling the same. She wrapped her arms around herself, and said, "Please, tell us more. I am sure Raven is simply... very focused on what you are telling us, madam."

With a gentle smile, the woman reached out and cupped Starfire's face, stroking with her thumb one blushing cheek. "You are to go on a journey, though the journey is not entirely yours. Your strength is to be your heart."

Raven sighed, and Starfire looked up startled as she stood. "Thank you, ma'am," said Raven flatly, and left the tent.

"I am sorry," Starfire muttered, setting down several dollar bills, and she hurried after her friend.

The air outside the tent was considerably cooler on Starfire's cheeks, and she was able to quickly catch up with Raven. "Friend Raven," she said, carefully gripping her by the arm. "Why did you leave in the middle of the fortune telling session?"

"Because she was a quack," shot off Raven, and at Starfire's confused look, added, "She was fake. She was just like... Mumbo. Mumbo with a couple of books on gypsies and a pack of cards."

"I am sorry," said Starfire, unsure of what else to say. "I did not realize. You are surely more likely to be able to tell such a thing." She watched Raven for several moments in silence, as she usually did in these situations.

Eventually, the dark-haired girl sighed and flicked her hood back from her face. "No, I'm sorry, Star. You didn't know any better. Earth is filled with quacks. I just hope you didn't pay her too much." With the kind of smirk Starfire knew to be a signal that Raven wished to switch the subject, she finished, "So let's go find the guys."

"Yes, let us locate the guys," trilled Starfire, floating along the beaten fairground, her bronzed skin and firey hair bright in the twilight. "Beast Boy wished to go on the Zipping Machine and the Tilt of World! I am hoping it is not too late to join him in such a thing!"

"Then you're in luck," said Raven, pointing. Under the rainbow of the fairway's lights, the trio of boys were swaying dizzily. Robin held out most manfully, staggering over with a grin. Cyborg finished the large cloud of cotton candy in his hand with ease, and hoisted a cross-eyed Beast Boy up under his arm with similar ease.

"Hey, Rae," Cyborg said. "You hold this for me. I gotta get more tickets. Plus, I think he's gonna yak. Don't want that gettin' in my metal bits." He was gone, leaving Starfire pondering how fleet his large and heavy feet were, and how well they would serve him when Raven gave in to the rage bubbling up in her pink cheeks.

"Grrgh," she expressed eloquently as Beast Boy wound his arms about her neck. "Ragh."

Starfire and Robin exchanged a glance.

"Raaaaaaaae," moaned the changeling. "I was a merry-go-round horse. My back hurts from kids. And all the juices in my head are swirling around!"

Starfire's eyes grew very wide. "They are?"

"For once," said Robin in amazement, "he's right. That is... what makes you dizzy. Something with your inner ear."

"Oh," said Starfire. "But I thought he was to become a... yak?"

"Nah," said Beast Boy, from the rigid Raven's arms. "He means he thought I was gonna puke." He giggled. "Hey, Rae. Hah, that rhymes, man. Hey-Rae, I didn't realize you cared! The strong and silent type, huh?"

"If you don't shut up and pull yourself together, I will TURN you into a yak," came the dark mutter. Though Raven appeared to be about to continue, there was a brilliant burst of light in the night sky above. Those on the ground oohed and aahed their appreciation, and the Titans joined them, with Raven slightly reluctant.

Starfire was a little surprised to find a warm hand taking hers, and tore her attention from the lightshow above to see a sheepish and flushed Robin entwining fingers with her. "Ro--" she started, only to be muffled by his other hand.

"Shh," he said, pointing at Raven and Beast Boy. "Don't draw attention." He gave her a crooked smile, and she stepped closer to him, lightly squeezing his hand. If he wished to partake of the hand holding in this setting... she was simply happy to be there.

The crowd enjoyed the show for several more moments, clapping and cheering. Though Starfire felt like joining them, she stayed quiet, an euphoric calm settling over her. Finally, she whispered, "What a lovely warm breeze..."

Robin glanced at her, a similar look of calm on his features. "Breeze?"

"Can you not feel it?"

"I guess--" The calm on his face cracked, and as Raven turned rapidly towards him, the air around them cracked as well. "HIT THE DECK," he roared, and pulled Starfire with them. The air was exploding with... energy and hot wind. Starfire opened her eyes just a bit to see a glittering rain that was not wet at all, and a figure shrouded in lights.

When the air stopped crackling enough to stand, the four Titans were immediately on their feet, with a resounding thudding behind them that indicated Cyborg's return. "What the shit is this?" he shouted.

"What the shit indeed," murmured Raven.

Before them stood a woman, tall and lovely. Her silvery hair reflected the multi-colored lights around them, looking jewelled and glowing. While a long and gleaming sword was clutched in her delicate looking hands, Starfire was more alarmed by her eyes. They were as beautiful and horrible as the rest of her, cold and pulsating with pale colors, finally setting on a pearly pink. Behind her, two shimmering wings unfolded themselves. The woman gestured with her sword at the crowd.

"Leave," she cried in a high and resounding soprano. "Leave this place that I may dispose of... the Teen Titans." The crowd seemed eager to please, dispersing in record time.

Robin seemed unimpressed, Starfire noted with a vague relief. "Titans, GO!" he shouted, and there was not time to think any longer. She could only hurl herself into battle with the usual aplomb, starbolts flying from her fingers at the strange woman.

"Identify yourself," called Raven over the din, and the woman stopped, her white dress whirling about her.

"I am... a Queen," she said, "I am Queen Mab of the Fairies."

Beast Boy popped from tiger to green boy. "Uh, you're a fairy? Or like, just in charge of fairies? You look a little big for a fairy to me."

The Queen turned on him, rage flooding from her cold eyes. "A changeling. The lowest of our kind."

"Hey, dude," snickered Beast Boy nervously. "I'm no fairy."

Starfire had been edging towards the rear for a surprise attack when she felt Raven's hands on her arms. "Keep her distracted," was the soft command, and Starfire zipped to the front.

But what was she to say? "Yes!" she tried. "You are large for a fairy! How ridiculous you are! And... and... you are unattractively pale!" That earned her a glare, and as the Queen's sword began to vibrate with silver energy, she heard three of her favorite words in all the universe.

"AZARATH, METRION, ZINTHOS!" The Queen staggered under Raven's attack, and when the resulting clash of energy dimmed, she was... an entirely different person. Her hair was now a vibrant green mass of curls, and she was much smaller, her dress shorter and her lips painted bright blue. Starfire could tell by the silence around her that she wasn't the only one staring.

"You BRAT," Mab shrieked, turning to Raven. "That was a BRILLIANT entrance, ruined by a little wannabe witch!"

"Hey, yo," interjected Cyborg. "Rae's no wannabe. She's a real witch."

"She weighs the same as a duck," added Beast Boy solemnly.

Mab whirled back to the green boy. "YOU. CHANGELING. Was it you who granted her the powers to dispel my glamour?" Her eyes, still a pale pink, narrowed, and her wings fluttered furiously.

"I wouldn't know if I bought a bunch of books and LEARNED!" he cried, ducking a shot of energy from her sword. The fight began in earnest again, and while Mab was not quite as frightening as she had been, she seemed more dangerous for it. She was certainly more vicious, Starfire noted, gently rubbing her head where her hair had been yanked.

Raven, however, appeared to have the upper hand, drawing Mab's attention towards her with growled incantations. "You may be Queen of the Fairies, but you are queen of a dead army! The strength of the fairyland is gone," warned the sorceress, her cape wild behind her like the wings of her namesake. "There are no more fairies."

The Queen was, by this point, on all fours in the dirt, her hair tangled in her face. She flicked it back, and rose into the air. "If you are the witch you claim to be," she spat, "you know that magic does not disappear. It simply changes shape." With a dark smile, she razed her thumb over the edge of her sword, and her blood was golden.

As she began to approach Raven, both chanted spells, the energy and tension of the battleground rising. Starfire pulled herself up from the stand she'd been tossed into, ready to charge the Fairy Queen--

and was too late. Already, a large green bear galloped towards Mab, and then leapt, pouncing. While Starfire began to cheer, Raven let out a cry that was heart-rending. "NO!"

At Raven's scream, the other Titans charged as well, dragging a now person-shaped and unconscious Beast Boy from Mab, who easily slipped away. The Queen floated up above them, sucking her thumb. "Fate works in mysterious ways, doesn't it, Teen Witch? I think that I've achieved all I could ever hope for here."

Starfire hurried to Raven's side as Beast Boy was scooped up and prodded. "Raven, should we pursue her?"

Raven shook her head. "No. Not now. We need to get Beast Boy back to the Tower. If she did... there's a lot of things she might have done, but if her blood... if he..." The girl was visibly shaken, and Starfire took her hands.

"If what, friend?"

"If..." Raven trailed off, looking away. Her frame stiffened as she surveyed the damage, a little too suddenly to be the result of taking in what they'd done to the place. "Nothing. We just need to get back now." She flew over to Robin and Cybog. "I'll take him from here. Just hurry up and follow."

Letting the voices fade into the background, Starfire let her gaze track where Raven's had been. What had so disturbed her friend? Ah, was that--

another girl? Starfire gathered the impression of golden eyes under a heavy black fringe and an impassive mouth, and then whoever had been there was gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AN: These are your disclaimers; none of the Titans or their universe is mine. While Mab and other OCs are being characterized here by me, their bases are in mythology and literature. Title is a work in process and is subject to change in the future. Reviewing and commenting makes me a happy writer.


	2. Chapter Two

**Magic in the Blood **(working title)

CH. TWO

"Faery magic," muttered Raven. Her pale hand, fingers splayed out and almost shaking with energy, moved along Beast Boy's aura as he lay silent on the medical bed. "She wasn't lying about who she was. It's very strong." The light around both teens faded away, and Raven stepped back, wrapping her arms around herself.

Heart aching, Starfire moved to the other girl's side, carefully holding her from behind. With her chin on Raven's shoulder and the young sorceress stiff but unmoving in her arms, she said, "But Raven, surely your magic is more powerful. You are the greatest sorceress any of us has ever known."

"Yeah," said Robin, from where he was crouched on the floor with a small computer pad, flipping through files. "I'm sure you know how to patch him right up."

"I hope so," added Cyborg, scowling at another screen with dozens of diagnostic charts decorating it. "'cos baby, these things ain't telling me anything. He might as well just be asleep."

"For all I know," Raven ground out, "he is. faery magic... is impenetrable to me. The magic I use and the magic they use doesn't mix."

"I don't understand," said Starfire, her brow furrowing.

"I _would _heal him if I could, but my magic and Mab's faery magic are incompatible. At least, enough so that I can't figure out what she did to him, and without that, I won't try anything. If I do, I might kill him." The last two words were soft enough that the rest of the Titans strained to hear her.

Robin shook his head and began to pace, still punching at his small computer pad with his thumbs. "She seemed to think he was one of them."

"That's a giant negative," snorted Cyborg. "He may be green and tiny and have pointy ears, but he ain't no faery. Rae said they were all gone anyway."

"This Mab chick is still around," pointed out the Boy Wonder.

Starfire released Raven to float over to the unconscious Beast Boy, her gloved fingers tracing the shape of his ears. "Perhaps they are not _all_ gone?" Softly, she added, "It takes far more than one would think to make an entire race extinct."

"Starfire is right," Raven finally said. "I was trying to provoke Mab. There are still some faeries around, even if there aren't as many as when Mab was in power."

"Hold up." Cyborg turned away from the charts. "You know who this crazy is?"

"She's Mab, Queen of the Faeries, like she said." Raven shrugged, pulling her cloak more tightly around herself. "She came into power in ancient Britain, somewhere between the fall of Camelot and the rise of London. Her realm has many names, and for several centuries, she and her kind were respected by the people of the British Isles as protectors and guardians."

"Then why is she attacking us?" asked Starfire mournfully.

"They're not respected anymore," Raven continued by way of explanation. "Many of them have been hunted and killed or enslaved like animals, and many others have retreated so deeply into their own lands that they'll never be seen again."

Starfire's face fell further for the plight of the faeries, and tears stung her eyes. She moved from Beast Boy's side to Robin's, pressing her face against his shoulder.

"That's a real sad story," Cyborg said, looking stonily unimpressed. "But BB is a mutant more'n he's anything else. He told me he got bit by a bug in the Congo when he was a kid, and the sickness is what made him what he is today."

"A bug about the size of the human hand," murmured Raven, "with large glowing wings and sharp little teeth?" She waved her hand and a dark approximation floated in front of her. "If I had my guess, I'd say it was a faery gone feral, and it was a form of faery sickness. Normally, wild faeries only go after infants, but that deep in the jungle, they'd go after anything."

Robin seemed equally skeptical. "Beast Boy was mutated by a faery?"

"I'm not saying it's a fact. It's a theory. Mab reacted very strangely to him. She called him a changeling. It would fit." Raven tugged her hood over her face, turning away.

Cyborg sighed noisily. "Listen, Rae, nobody's gettin' down on you. But me 'n Rob, at least, are operatin' from a different place. I'm gonna believe there's a scientific or biological way to handle this until I know there ain't."

Noting Raven's continued silence, Starfire stepped between the two. "Friends, it is good that Beast Boy has such good and devoted friends, who are both so educated in their different ways. Perhaps it is even more of a blessing than you are thinking. After all, Cyborg's skills lie with the technology and Raven's are in sorcercy and magic, and there is little lapping over. Would it not be prudent to cover both areas?" She clasped her hands and looked from one to the other with what she hoped was a winning smile.

"Aight, Star."

"Fine." Raven nodded at them. "I'll be in my room, looking for some... information."

Starfire let out a relieved breath as Raven phased out of the room and Cyborg returned to his computer station. "Thank X'Hal," she muttered, and turned, only to find herself nearly nose to nose with Robin. "Oh!"

"Sorry, Star," said Robin, with that crooked grin from the fair. "Just wanted to tell you... that was really... good. Er, the way you handled Cy and Raven. Diplomatic and stuff."

"Thank you," she said, feeling her cheeks fill with warmth. "I simply wish for us to make Beast Boy awake again."

Robin had a hand on her arm now, and it was also very warm. "We will," he said, with the sort of determination she knew very well. "Not that I don't wanna hang out with you, but you should probably help Raven while I stick with Cyborg. Call me the second you two make any breakthroughs, okay?"

"I will."

* * *

Starfire always made sure to knock on Raven's door and wait for an invitation before she entered. It was polite, but she also remembered a day when Beast Boy had been angry at Raven, and barged into her room without such ettiquette. Starfire had protested and reminded him of the importance of being invited, but had received an answer that had confused her greatly. 

_'Oh, right, jeez, I forget she's a vampire. That's their code of honor or whatever.'_

She had asked Robin about it later, and he had told her it was vampire lore that one had to invite the vampire inside one's dwelling in order for a vampire to be able to enter. It had still been difficult for her to understand Beast Boy's jab, but Robin's expression and exasperated tone of voice had explained the intent of her green friend well enough. _Friend Beast Boy_, she thought, frowning to herself, _I hope that when you awake you will realize how worried she is about you._

The door opened, and Raven appeared. "I said you could come in, Starfire."

"Oh!" Starfire smiled brightly and a bit sheepishly. "I was thinking too deeply. I am sorry." She followed Raven into the room, where books were strewn about.

The sorceress pointed at a pile. "Those are written in English and a couple of other common languages that you might know. Look for anything on faeries or Mab." With a nod, Raven settled back into her meditative pose, a book in her lap.

Starfire leafed through each book with extreme caution, scanning each word as if it might be the one word that would provide an answer. And though there were volumes of information, that which did not seem strange and dense told her many of the same things that Raven had: the faeries had been in power long ago, led by Queen Mab and were now dwindling towards extinction, with many faeries gone wild attempting to infect the human population. "Raven," she finally asked, "is Mab a traditional sort of queen?"

"What do you mean, Starfire?"

"How did she come to her throne? Was there another Queen or a King before her, or after her?"

Raven blinked. "That's an excellent question."

"Thank you," grinned Starfire. "I am the product of a monarchy myself."

"Right you are," Raven murmured, and began to page through her book, her attention still seemingly on the other girl. "There's literary mention of Oberon and Titania. A famous Earth playwright wrote about them, but there's no historical data."

"There are a few faeries mentioned by name in these books," said Starfire. "The name I have seen most is that of a Morgan Le Fae." She held up one of the books, open to the mentioned passage.

Raven levitated the book to her hands. "I know that name. Morgan Le Fae was a very powerful sorceress, but I didn't realize she was a faery." She paused, pressing her lips into a thin line as she read. "Half and half, it seems, with her faery heritage growing as the years passed. It looks as if she might have been active before Mab took control."

"Perhaps she could help us! Is she still alive?"

"As far as I know. But..." Raven pressed her mouth into that thin line again.

"But?" echoed Starfire.

"She's somewhat unstable, if I understand correctly. She's neither good or evil, and her personal history..." Raven trailed off again, only finishing at Starfire's prodding. "Remember what Terra did to us? Multiply it by a hell of a lot. Morgan betrayed her brother and all of Camelot."

Starfire frowned, instantly feeling empathy for the man who was long dead. She knew the betrayal of a sister, and Raven must have seen it on her face, for there was the rare sensation of a hand on her arm, comforting. "But you said she was not good _or_ evil. Then there is good in her?"

"I couldn't say for sure, but I'd always heard she was a tragic figure instead of an evil one."

"Then we should seek her out," said Starfire decidedly. "I shall inform Robin we are going to... where are we going?"

Raven stood, watching as the books began to restack themselves. "A long time ago, I was invited to a rave--"

"What is 'rave'?"

"It's a big party that lasts all night, with a lot of dancing. And this was a special rave, in a part of town that wasn't always very safe because of the people who populated it. I went," and Raven glared at Starfire, "which is something you will tell _no one_, because I knew there would be a lot of magic types there. It was at a club called the Zodiac, and when I was there... I saw more than one faery."

"They are a people who enjoy such things?" questioned Starfire, dodging a book as it returned to its place. "A party with dancing? They sound like a... _fun_ people!" She lit up, twirling a bit.

"Faeries are notorious for loving _fun_," said Raven darkly. "We'll go tonight and see if we can catch one."

"Why would we wish to catch one? Can we not simply ask for its help?"

"They're also notoriously flighty. Listen, Star, I will do the catching. You will help with the questioning."

Starfire nodded emphatically. "Very well, Raven. Will I need to dress differently for this party?" She squirmed a bit as Raven studied her.

"We both will, I think. We need to blend in and not be noticed." Now Raven was scowling. "Bring some of your civilian clothes here and we'll... ugh. Dress up." Fairly crackling with annoyance, she moved to her own closet. "This is going to be so irritating."

* * *

AN: Same disclaimers apply. A note about where this falls in canon-- I'm taking a lot of artistic liberties with timeline here. Consider it somewhere within season five, especially with Robin's slightly more enlightened attitude. However, I'm cheerfully ignoring Birthmark and the Prophecy, etc. I have also changed the spelling of fairy to faery to reflect my own tastes, though magic will remain magic and not magick. Reviewing is close to Goddess! 


	3. Chapter Three

**Magic in the Blood **(working title)

CH. THREE

The Zodiac night club was situated unobtrusively in the warehouse district of Jump City, between an International House of Pancakes and a gun shop. Its entrance was decorated with intense eccentricity and eclecticness. There were a couple of pillars that looked suspiciously like they'd been swiped from an ancient Greek temple, along with several radiant pink flamingos tacked to the roof, glow in the dark stars on everything, benchs resembling the bits and pieces of Stonehenge, and white calla lilies exploding brilliantly under the strange light.

Starfire fell head over heels in love with the place immediately. "It is so _bright_!"

Raven, however, tried not to touch anything. "It's so... bright." She pulled the hood of her sweatshirt up over her face. It had nearly killed her to abandon her uniform, but she did keep a pair of dark jeans and a hoodie for such occasions. Starfire had insisted on several plastic bracelets, so her sleeves were shoved up so the black and purple rings of jellied plastic showed. She glanced over at the other girl. "Are you ready?"

"I am ready!" Starfire had taken to the task of dressing for 'clubbing' with inherent glee. The majority of the bracelets were on her own bare arms, and she'd pulled on a short plaid skirt and a tight white sleeveless shirt with a star on it. Without her trademark boots, she wobbled a bit as she walked, apparently never having worn a pair of sneakers before. She strode forward boldly, and upon hearing a low whistle from a nearby group of young men, grabbed Raven's hand, and pulled her along as well.

The inside of the club was far simpler in concept than the outside. It was space, and even though Raven had seen it before, she let out a soft gasp with Starfire's. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, all of it was a deep celestial indigo smattered with flecks of starlight. All the constellations were correct as well, something that escaped neither Titan. People filled the club, dancing to the throb of the music, lounging on benches and chairs, sitting at the bar with glasses of liquor that really should only have been found on other planets. "Normal human activities," muttered Raven to her companion. "But definitely not normal humans." At least half the crowd was visibly of another race, with dwarves and aliens and witches all in attendance.

"Where are the faeries?" whispered Starfire back to her. "Should they not be winged?"

"They might have wings, and they might not." Raven pointed discreetly to a young blond man with a pair of blue wings. "Those aren't real. Most of the wings you'll see here aren't. People wear them for fun. The only time a real faery would reveal theirs in public is a place like this, where they can be mistaken as a human playing dress-up." She led Starfire through the crowd, nodding sullen hellos to the few who recognized her. "Just don't stare too much."

Settling in a couple of large chairs in the back, the girls eyed the crowd. Raven muttered quietly to herself as the patrons moved before her. "No... no... maybe... definitely not..." After several minutes, she collapsed backwards, wrapping her arms around herself. "This is hopeless."

Starfire was clearly less intimidated, ordering a large pink drink with an umbrella and sipping from it as she smiled brightly at anyone who would make eye contact with her. "Raven, why do we not come here more often? We have not been recognized here, and it is most enjoyable to do the girl drinking and watching of people."

"Because these people are _weird_. And when _I_ can say that, they're weird." Raven sighed, shoving her hands into the front pocket of her sweatshirt. "We're just here to try and get a lock on a faery. Any faery. If they can figure out what's wrong with Beast Boy, I might be able to fix it myself."

"You are worried about our friend," Starfire observed, poking the umbrella in her drink and then glancing up at Raven.

"Well... yes. Are you really that surprised?"

"I am not surprised," said the Tamaranian. "I am..." She sighed. "Perhaps I am surprised that you are so open about it. You do not always get along with Beast Boy. And though you are our friend, you do not often show your affection as I do."

Raven bit her lip, watching the swirl of pink and orange in the bottom of Starfire's drink. "It's harder for me. You know that, Starfire. I can't... express myself."

"Perhaps not in the same way I do, or Beast Boy does, but is your relentless search for aid not an expression of affection?"

The sorceress colored slightly. "...it is." She tugged idly at the bracelets on her wrist. "He saved my life that time. It would have been... I would not have thought it completely unfair if he had injured me. I am not always kind."

Starfire leaned forward, holding Raven's wrist gently. "That is who Raven is. Raven is not always kind with her words, but her actions speak for themselves."

The color in Raven's cheeks deepened. "I just want to help him," she said very softly.

"I understand. If that were not true, you would not be here in this bright and noisy place, in Earth clothes and enduring the stares of others so that you might gain information from a questionable sources." Starfire squeezed her wrist lightly, reassuring the other girl.

"Thanks, Star," she murmured. "I--" She stopped short. "I see one." Her dark head nodded at a girl with bright pink hair, pinned up messily over similarly colored eyes and doused in glitter. "I'm going to try and get her to step outside with me. Wait there for us, in the alley out back. I don't want to cause any sort of scene." At Starfire's nod, Raven stood and began to slip through the crowd towards her target.

* * *

It was darker in the back alley than in front. The alley was wider than Starfire had expected in her experience with Earth alleys, and reminded her more of the streets of Tamaran, dark but for small twinkling lights overhead. She crossed her arms as she stepped out onto the cement, hair sliding forward over her cheeks as she surveyed the area. 

Smoke. Starfire wrinkled her nose. It was the smoke of the cigarette, but... no, not quite. It smelled of spice and incense. She turned, quickly locating a dark figure reclining against the brick wall of the gun shop. A small ember glowed at the tip of the cigarette, and grew as the smoker inhaled.

"Hello?" questioned Starfire, stepping forward. It was often difficult for her to remember that she should walk when amongst regular humans, but she was becoming more and more successful.

"Hey." The voice was feminine, and rang to Starfire of the lower tones of the glarenfleck, a flute of her homeworld-- low, pure, dulect tones.

"I did not mean to disturb you. I am to meet a friend here."

There was a silence as the woman inhaled again, and a stream of smoke rose to the sky. "I don't mind."

"...I have heard that cigarettes cause addiction and illness," said Starfire with genuine concern. "This nicotine is an unpleasant substance."

"These are clove cigarettes. Don't worry. I'm not about to die." There was a tone of laughter to the voice.

"Oh. Then I apologize again for disturbing your break for smoking."

The figure pushed away from the wall and moved forward into the light, and Starfire bit down quickly on the tip of her tongue to keep from gasping. It was the young woman she had seen so briefly the night before at the fair. She was as small as Raven, and probably smaller, with vibrantly black hair cut short at her chin, a fringe of bangs almost obscuring her eyes. It was her eyes that Starfire remembered most, a golden amber that glowed against the dark. Other than that, she was pale with delicate features, and dressed in black. She flicked her cigarette to the cement and ground it out with her shoe, skirt ruffling slightly in the breeze.

The young woman raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Have I met you before?" questioned Starfire. "You seem... it seems as if we have met before."

Her face remained impassive. How much like Raven she seemed, thought Starfire. "No. I don't think so. I do know you, but you don't know me."

A thrill raced down Starfire's spine. "You know me?"

"You're Starfire. A Teen Titan." Those golden eyes didn't move from the alien's face. "I respect your work."

"Th-thank you." Starfire finally broke the gaze, looking at the sky. "Are... are you a regular at this venue?" There, she had remember to ask questions. Raven would be pleased after all.

"I come here sometimes."

"Then perhaps you know some of the other people here?"

"I might. Are you looking for someone specific?" The tiniest of smirks quirked the young woman's mouth. "A criminal?"

"No, not a criminal." Starfire felt compelled beyond her normal compulsion to be completely honest. "Our teammate was injured in an attack by a creature named Queen Mab last night. We are looking for information that might help him."

"A creature..." The young woman's smirk deepened. "That's one of the most accurate descriptions of Mab I've heard in years."

"You know her, then?" Starfire felt another thrill.

"For a pretty long time, you might say. I heard she was causing a little trouble. Is your friend hurt very badly?"

"We cannot tell. Raven says that he is under faery magic, and because Raven is from another planet as well, she cannot work her own magic to discover what has been done to him. We are so very worried," Starfire said, the words spilling out in an anxious river.

The young woman let out a long breath, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by footsteps coming into the alley. A high, soprano voice was whining. "I don't even know anything! Like, I'm so not the girl to ask. I stay far away from that stuff!"

Raven appeared with the pink haired faery at her side. "We'd still appreciate your help," she intoned, and then gestured to Starfire. "This is my associate Starfire. Starfire, this is Peaseblossom." She blinked at the sight of the other dark-haired girl. "Starfire, who's your friend?"

"Morgan!" yelped Peaseblossom nervously. "I mean, Mistress Le Fae, I... I didn't say anything to them. She just picked me up and brought me out here. What's going on? Please, I'm sorry, I didn't..."

Morgan went white. "Go home, Peaseblossom. Are your brother and sister here too?"

"Yes, ma'am..."

"Take them and go. Stay out of this."

Meanwhile, Raven and Starfire stared at each other in shock. "Star, you found..."

"I did not know!"

"It's okay. I'm not yelling at you..."

Raven reeled back a bit as Peaseblossom spread her very magenta wings and lifted into the sky, and then turned to Starfire and her new acquaintance. "You're Morgan Le Fae," she said numbly.

"Morgan's fine, if you have to call me something," the faery said, crossing her arms. "You have one minute to explain why you're harrassing children."

"She looks our age," said Starfire anxiously, bouncing on her feet.

"She's only a few years old," snapped Morgan. "It was only with the birth of her and the other two triplets that some of the oldest faeries allowed themselves to enter the Summerland. What do you want?"

Raven stepped forward then, to Starfire's side. "You know what we want. Mab is trouble. She's hurt our friend."

"I'm sorry about that." Morgan flicked her hair back from her face. "There's nothing I can do."

"Can do, or will do?" growled Raven. "We know who you are. We know what you can do."

"Yes," interjected Starfire. "We are aware of your plethora of Beast Boy healing abilities that you are withholding!" She winced as Raven grabbed her arm.

Morgan was less than impressed. "You have no doubt read dozens of stories about Morgan of the Faeries and her terrible powers, but let me make you very aware of the facts. I am Morgan Le Fae. I _am_ the sorceress you're looking for. But I am not helping you."

"I understand that you have a rift with humans," said Raven, in the very slow and careful voice that signalled she was about to lose her temper. "But our friend is not technically a human. He is faery, I believe--"

"--I care for neither race enough to meddle."

"Then he is half faery and half human like yourself. You would condemn someone like yourself?

A faint golden light pooled around Morgan Le Fae's feet, and her face darkened with anger until she was nearly unrecognizable. "If he is like _me_, then may his death be quick and painless. Goddess knows I can ask for no such thing." She shoved past them back into the club, the door slamming behind her and locking of its own accord.

While Raven stood stunned and fuming, Starfire moved to unhinge the door.

"Stop," said Raven quietly. "We won't catch her. If she wants to disappear from us, she will." She staggered to the wall and sagged against it, putting her face in her hands. "I think we just screwed up our best chance."

Starfire floated back to her. "I am sure that is not the case. There are always ways. We still have Cyborg and Robin to check in with, do we not? Let us go back to the Tower, Raven, and do such a thing."

Raven sighed, and lowered her hands, levitating into the air. "Right. Right, Star. Let's go." Without another word, she began to fly back.

"May X'Hal protect us from the rage of sorceresses on all worlds," murmured Starfire, and with a soft rush of air, ascended to return to the Tower as well.

* * *

AN: Disclaimers as usual. Thanks for the lovely reviews, especially to WitchGirl-- yeah, I'm avoiding Wicca here, though I be pagan myself. Probably more likely to find some shades of Marion Zimmer Bradley in my Morgan. This one is a bit shorter, but hey. Still important. Also, smoking is still bad for you, kids! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Magic in the Blood**

CH. FOUR

To Starfire's dismay, Robin and Cyborg had not discovered anything through the practice of science. When she had returned on Raven's heels, they had been sitting amongst piles of paper and computer pads on the floor of the infirmary. Raven had stormed past them, but Starfire had dropped miserably to the floor next to them.

At her questioning look, they both simply shook their heads.

From far down the hall, something crashed loudly and broke. Robin winced. "I'm guessing you and Raven didn't have much luck either."

"That is not entirely true," said Stafire slowly. "We did, in fact, locate a Morgan Le Fae. She is a faery sorceress that Raven believes to be as powerful as the Queen Mab."

The boys exchanged a confused look. "So why's Raven so pissed off?" asked Cyborg.

"Morgan Le Fae has refused to help us. She does not wish to save Beast Boy." Starfire felt her heart ache in her chest at the words. It had been such a good hope, and the faery sorceress had said... "She said that if he is half human and half faery, it is better that he die."

Cyborg threw a pad across the room, and stood up to follow it with his foot, mutting obscenities. "...and bull-headed witches," he said darkly.

"Hey," said Robin, not really paying attention to him, "you break it, you buy it. Star, you talked to this chick, right? Did she just come right out and say all that?"

At Robin's prodding, Starfire pushed down the hurt in her heart, trying to _think_ . "She does not appear to care for Mab. She referenced her as a creature. Before she knew what Raven and I wished to ask her, she was almost friendly. I suspect she is... lonely."

"Then maybe she's not a lost cause," he mused outloud. "We could... talk to her. Try to make her see."

"You can't finesse that type," said Cyborg, from where he stood over Beast Boy's inert form, his arms crossed. "BB's been tryin' to finesse Rae for years now."

"We're not trying to get in her pants," said Robin crossly.

"I do not understand. I believe she was wearing a skirt," interjected Starfire.

"He means--"

"I _mean_ that you might as well talk to a brick wall--"

"Why would Robin speak with--"

"Just because you're pissed about Beast Boy--"

"I'm _pissed_ because he got caught in a magic catfight--"

"He wouldn't blame Raven, that's idiotic--"

"Call me an idiot, but he wouldn't blame Raven for _nothin'_ she ever did to him, and look where it--"

"**SHUT UP!** " Starfire had stepped between them, and now held them up by their shirts, Robin in her right hand and Cyborg in her right. Her eyes glowed dangerously. "You will _not_ make this situation worse with your fighting and strange speech figures! Cyborg, I know that you are worried about our friend, but it is always better to try than not." She glanced at their sleeping teammate. "Would friend Beast Boy not say the same, as long as we are speaking for him?"

Cyborg scratched at the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess."

"And Robin, I do believe it will take something more than simply speaking with the Morgan to convince her that she should help us. She has been shunned by others for a very long time, I believe."

"Okay," said Robin, also subdued. "Star, will you put us down now?"

Starfire thought about it. "Shall you be making better decisions?"

"Aw, Star, you been watchin' Supernanny again," groaned Cyborg.

"_Shall you?_"

"YES."

Starfire released them, setting them gently on the floor. Demurely, she smoothed her hair back from her face and turned to Robin. "What are your orders, Robin?"

The Boy Wonder shot her a look that very clearly said he didn't buy the 'demure follower' act from the girl who had just put them in their places. "We continue with what we're doing. We track down this Morgan again, and convince her to at least come see Beast Boy. At the same time, we try to help him on our own." He began to pace back and forth. "Starfire and I will try to find the sorceress. Cyborg, I need you and Raven to try and work together. Maybe if you put your technology and her magic together, you can accomplish something."

There was a long pause before Cyborg sighed, and said, "Fine. But you gotta drag her out of her dungeon and get her down here."

Robin opened his mouth to speak, and Starfire quickly piped up. "We shall. Or I shall, if I must pick her up and carry her."

"Good," grunted Cyborg. "I'll be in the kitchen. Gotta eat something. Maybe some ice cream." Cyborg was, Starfire reflected, an eater with stress.

As he ambled off, she turned to Robin. "I think, perhaps, that we should see if Raven will let us look through her books. We may be able to find something that will help us communicate with the Morgan."

"We're gonna ask to look at her _books_?" Robin grinned. "I don't know if you're crazy or brilliant."

* * *

"Maybe," said Robin slowly, as they stood outside Raven's door, "you're crazy AND brilliant." 

In front of the door was a large pile of books, and on top of the books was a note. Robin picked it up and read aloud. "Starfire. You are allowed to look at these books if you would like. Please be very careful with them. If Robin or Cybog would like to touch them, they should wash their hands before, or suffer the consequences. PS. I will be meditating for the next few hours. If I am interrupted, I can't be responsible for what I turn you into." He blinked several times under his mask. "She's really..."

Starfire was already picking up some of the books. "She is concerned. Frightened, even."

"For Beast Boy?" Robin sounded genuinely confused.

The alien's green eyes flashed at him. "Of course she is frightened for him! He could be... " She wouldn't finish the sentence.

"Yeah, but... Raven's never... "

"They are friends," said Starfire, her voice rising slightly. She immediately muffled the tone. "Robin, she does care for him. Why do you and Cyborg disbelieve this?"

"I dunno," said Robin, shrugging and looking at his feet. "She's just not very... I'm sorry, Star. I didn't mean anything by it."

She let her posture relax as he spoke. "I am sorry as well. Emotions are very intense in a time like this. I spoke to Raven at the club, and she is very worried for Beast Boy. She cares for him deeply. It is simply unfortunate that an event like this is required to help her show it." Hugging the books worriedly, she studied Robin's face.

"I guess. I mean, it's not that I think Raven's emotionless or anything. This is just... hard for everyone."

Wistfully, Starfire said, "Perhaps I shall tell her later that it may be a sign from X'Hal."

This earned a half-hearted smile from Robin. "A sign from X'Hal?"

"Yes. That we are to better care for one another in times of peace and joy, so that we do not feel intense regret in times of darkness... " Starfire trailed off as she noted the thoughtful twist of Robin's mouth. "Do you not think so?"

Robin stepped closer to her, and her eyes widened-- it was as if all of her senses had become hyperaware, especially of his warmth, so much nearer. "I think so," he said. "I think you're right." His hand rested on her shoulder, and then her neck, warm and heavy and dizzying. "Listen, Star, I don't want that. To be regretting not saying the important things because... "

"Because you are afraid?" questioned Starfire, her pulse fluttering.

"Something like that," he said. "Starfire--"

Robin leaned in close to her, his hand gentle and caressing on her neck, the tip of his nose nudging the tip of her own nose. "Starfire," he repeated softly.

Starfire dropped her books on his feet. The Boy Wonder yelped and toppled over, much to her scarlet-cheeked horror. "Robin, I am sorry!" She immediately pulled him back to his feet, and collected the books once again. "I am sorry," she repeated, wincing.

To her surprise, Robin began to laugh. "That was... " He doubled over a moment, and then straightened. "That was perfect, Star. I guess it's another sign from X'Hal."

Starfire let out an indignant exhale. "Have I mentioned that X'Hal is a particularly meddlesome deity?"

"Nah," said Robin. His expression grew more serious. "But she's got a point. We need to... read these books, and find out how to convince Morgan to help us, and get Beast Boy better." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Our own... personal stuff... can wait."

"You do not sound convinced of that," Starfire said.

"I'm not," he answered. "But it's what we gotta do. For right now, we gotta put it on hold."

"On hold," she repeated carefully. That did not sound very bad at all. She had never cared for waiting, but the years on her own had taught her patience. "Yes. Now, let us do the reading of Raven's books."

Robin smiled warmly at her, and as he bent to pick up the last book, she could not help herself. "Robin?"

"Yeah?"

"Please remember that you are supposed to wash your hands first."

* * *

AN: This was a while in coming, but I'm still around. I dunno how many readers are comic fans as well and understand who X'Hal is-- just in case, she's the warrior goddess Tamaranians worship. Standard disclaimers apply. 


End file.
